Lab d4: Health and fitness
Health and fitness
To understand OboxPlanet, we go back to before the state intervened in medical care on earth. People had a family doctor who they would call or visit, or have him visit, payment in cash or in kind on the farm. Midwifes would help with births and there were hospitals and specialists.
Much has remained the same on OboxPlanet. Most people have one doctor that they consult at first to decide whether there is a need for a specialist. These doctors have a general practice diploma from a private certification agency and spend their time mostly with their patients. There is little administration because people pay out of their pockets. Health insurance is limited to grave and expensive treatments and accidents.
In general, people have a holistic approach to health and fitness and take more time and interest in it. The basics of medical knowledge, diet, psychology, and sometimes spiritual aspects are considered part of every education. Since nothing is officially approved or prohibited, the only consideration is “what works for the buck”. And while people make mistakes, the overall innovation, competition, and progress is of course much more rapid than on earth.
Technology has increased precision and decreased costs in many medical fields, just like eye-lasering on the earth. Most operations, including cosmetic, are performed by robots. And opium-based painkillers keep patients just about pain-free all their lives and, as mentioned above, pharmaceutics has eliminated Alzheimer, Parkinson, diabetes, overweight, dementia…
Now it’s your turn:
In what respect would you want to improve your health or fitness? Lose weight? Correct your looks? Treat your soul?
What we can do on earth
Abolish all medical licensing and prohibitions for practitioners, drugs, and any devices.
To comprehend the healthcare system on the OboxPlanet, we can look back to a time before state intervention in medical care on Earth. During that era, individuals would rely on a family doctor whom they would consult through calls, visits, or even house calls. Payments were made in cash or through other means such as barter on farms. Additionally, midwives played a role in assisting with childbirth, hospitals existed, and specialists were available.
On the OboxPlanet, many aspects of medical care have remained similar. Most individuals have a primary doctor whom they consult initially to determine the need for specialist care. These doctors possess a general practice diploma issued by a private certification agency and dedicate their time primarily to their patients. Administrative burdens are minimal because people pay for services out of their own pockets. Health insurance coverage is typically limited to serious and costly treatments, as well as accidents.
A notable characteristic of the healthcare approach on the OboxPlanet is the holistic perspective on health and fitness. People invest more time and interest in these areas, considering factors such as basic medical knowledge, diet, psychology, and occasionally spiritual aspects as integral parts of education. Since there are no official approvals or prohibitions, the guiding principle is based on what proves effective and efficient. Although mistakes can of course occur, the overall atmosphere of innovation, competition, and progress is significantly more rapid than on Earth.
Technological advancements have played a crucial role in increasing precision and reducing costs in various medical fields, much like the development of eye-laser technology on Earth. The majority of surgeries, including cosmetic procedures, are performed by robots. Moreover, the use of opium-based painkillers ensures that patients experience minimal pain throughout their lives. Furthermore, advancements in pharmaceuticals have eradicated conditions such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, diabetes, overweight issues, and dementia.
What experiences on Earth, past and present, help us understand life on the OboxPlanet?
Once again, let’s start in the 19th century, when state involvement in health care was minimal and people for the first time had steadily increasing incomes which permitted them to test new medical procedures and medications. Progress was rapid and medical treatments ever more accessible, one important contributing factor to the increasing life expectancy.
Of course progress did not happen without errors but because people could choose, mistakes were corrected as quickly as possible. Employers started paying for accidents at the workplace and communities and business firms established health insurance schemes. US Representative Ron Paul, a medical doctor, recounts how in the 1960’s, it was common practice to pay visits at the doctor cash and that poor people would get treated for free. There was little bureaucracy and nobody was left in the cold to die.
Switzerland only introduced mandatory health insurance in 1994 with the main promise of cost controls. We claim that more state means higher costs, and this is one more illustration. Costs since 1996 are not down, but up 150% within 25 years, with wages up 25% in the same time period. And while some of it can be contributed to increased services, nobody contests that a great part is the controlling administration apparatus.
As for the argument that “increased technology leads to higher costs”, it is interesting to note that where the state medical program does not pay, costs are rapidly decreasing. Eye lasering is down more than 50%, and so are many cosmetic procedures.
By considering these examples, we can gain insights into the potential of a stateless society, such as our hypothetical OboxPlanet, where healthcare is abundant, affordable, and readily available to all.
Now it’s your turn:
In what respect would you want to improve your health or fitness? Lose weight? Correct your looks? Treat your soul?
Things we could learn and implement from the OboxPlanet:
Abolish all medical licensing and prohibitions for practitioners, drugs, and any devices.
Illustrations
John Stossel Gov’ Shouldn’t Decide Our Diets
https://youtu.be/SRuS5Uytkhc
